Kevin Garnett Injures Leg, Exits Game (Update)

With 2:38 left in the first quarter of tonight’s Boston vs. Detroit game, Ray Allen sliced through the lane before hitting Kevin Garnett with a perfect lead pass. The 34-year-old completed the play with an easy dunk. Somewhere between taking off and actually throwing it down, Garnett suffered a non-contact injury to his surgically repaired right leg.

Minutes later, after grimacing on the bench while trainer Ed Lacerte looked him over, KG limped his way to Boston’s locker room. X-rays on the leg came back negative, but the 6-11 big won’t return to tonight’s game. As of now, according to Woj, he’s scheduled to undergo an MRI Thursday morning.

If the injury turns out to be moderate, this will be much ado about nothing. But if it’s severe, which judging by Garnett’s facial expression on the bench it may be, the Celtics may have just ceded their No. 1 contender status in the Eastern Conference.

Stay tuned tomorrow for further updates.

UPDATE: After the game, the Celtics announced that the injury was to KG’s calf and not his previously injured knee. He will miss a few games, but the outlook is much more optimistic than it was a few hours ago.